


On The Ice

by Seabirdsong



Series: Cullenites Prompt Fills [3]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: F/M, Flirting, Fluff, One Shot, Prompt Fic, Short One Shot, Sweet
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-18
Updated: 2015-05-18
Packaged: 2018-03-31 04:55:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,312
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3965173
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Seabirdsong/pseuds/Seabirdsong
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This is a one shot done for a Fic group. My prompt was "the Inquisitor teaches Cullen to ice skate."</p>
            </blockquote>





	On The Ice

She was going to make him smile, even if it took her all day. He had been standing sentry by the frozen ice bed for over an hour, arms crossed stiffly over his chest, puffing angry plumes of icy breath from his nose like some sort of miniature, lion-maned dragon.

“Inquisitor, I’m sure you know that I have much to do back up in my office. I am not sure why you insist on my presence here…”

She snorted. He only called her by her formal title when he was mad at her, and he was putting extra emphasis on it for effect. But she was not going to be swayed. It was the one time since the war began that she managed to convince most of the Inquisition to come down from Skyhold to the ice bed of the valley and have some fun for a few hours. And she’d be damned if she was going to let the day end without a little one on one time with the dashing ex-Templar.

They’d been flirting quietly for weeks, but despite how cool and in charge he was in the War Room or with the troops, when it was just the two of them he could be downright bashful. He’d stammer sweet responses to her compliments while the pale skin of his cheeks would turn endearingly pink. It seemed he was either biding his time and waiting for the right moment to make the big move himself, or he was hoping she would do it. Then again, there hadn’t been much opportunity in the flurry of activity since they'd arrived there. Most of their flirting had been done right out in the open, in stolen moments in the courtyard, or while walking way from the War Room.

She knew it was also just nerves keeping him from the ice. He probably didn’t know how to skate, was afraid he’d take a major spill and embarrass himself. It was a common reaction in people who’d never done it before, and not entirely unfounded. But she was a good teacher, and just knew that once he was out there with her and building up a little bit of confidence, he would begin to enjoy himself. Everyone always did.

“The longer you resist, the longer you’ll be out here. Do yourself a favor and just put the skates on, Cullen. Just a couple laps with me and then you can go back to your precious duties. Think of your soldiers! They want to see their Commander have a little bit of fun!”

“They want no such thing. And falling on my arse is hardly my idea of fun.”

“Don’t you worry about that. I’ll gladly throw myself between your arse and any possibility of danger. Just look, even Cassandra is enjoying herself!” she said as she gestured behind her at the swirling bodies. The stoic Seeker had surprised her by being the best skater of them all. She’d expected it would have been Sera. Ice skating seemed just like exactly the sort of thing she might be good at. But in reality Sera was a pitiful sight. She couldn’t seem to keep her legs under her and had taken more spills than the rest of them combined. Ellana winced as she watched Sera topple forward yet again, ending up splayed out on the bank of the ice, almost landing face first in a pile of snow.

“Maker’s balls, somebody help Sera!!!” Ellana yelled across the ice. Blackwall sighed and dutifully began making his way toward the prostrate elf.

“Pay no attention to her. She’s doing that on purpose,” she told Cullen, who only stared back at her with a raised eyebrow.

“Right. Sure.” he snorted, his voice sounding utterly unamused. “If you’re so desperate for a project, go help her. She actually seems to _want_ to be out there, though I can hardly fathom why.”

“But Cullen, I don’t want to skate with her. I want to skate with _you_ ,” she said sweetly. She widened her eyes and did her best to look sad and pleading. Cullen’s eyebrow only raised even higher, his lids narrowing suspiciously. She had no doubt he saw exactly what she was doing. She played it up for full effect, batting her eyelashes and giving him the full puppy dog treatment.

“Please?” she asked. He shifted impatiently on his feet, but she saw a spark of amusement in his honey colored eyes, followed by the tiniest curl of his lips. It wasn’t quite a smile, but almost.

Well if that wasn’t going to work, what would? She decided to change tactics, and one thing she knew for a fact that Cullen was comfortable with was negotiation.

“What will it take Cullen? Ask anything of me, and it’s yours,” she said finally, dropping the puppy dog act. At this he perked up, turning to look at her fully.

“Anything, you say?”

“Name it. Well, within reason of course,” she answered.

He paused a moment, “So which is it? Can I request _anything_? Or only something within reason? There is a big difference between the two.”

She sighed, suppressing her own smile. “Okay, anything. You can request anything. But in return I will require no less than twenty-five laps around the ice. And at least as far back as Cassandra is going. And you absolutely cannot back out, no matter how badly you think you’re doing.”

He scowled as he looked out into the ice. Sera was rejecting Blackwall’s help and continuing to skitter all over the place. Cassandra and Leliana chatted companionably, while tossing little snowballs at each other. Vivienne, Iron Bull and Varric were standing in a little huddle, and when Varric’s eyes flicked briefly over to her and Cullen she knew it was them that was the topic of their conversation.

“Ten laps,” Cullen said.

“If you’re going to have a free pass to request anything from me, then I intend to get my money’s worth Commander. Twenty five laps.”

He sighed. “Fifteen.”

“Twenty five,”she insisted.

“Eighteen.”

“Twenty five.”

“Twenty?”

Ellana crossed her arms over her chest, mimicking his steely posture. “Well what is it that you will be requesting exactly?”

“Oh nothing right now. I’m going to keep that in my pocket for later. You never know when it might come in handy,” he said, his mouth curling slightly again. She found her eyes lingering on the perfect cupid’s bow of his top lip, cut through with that distinctive scar. She’d been wondering ever since the moment they met what his lips tasted like, and really hoped that at some point she might find out.

“Well then. Twenty-five it is. If you’re going to learn properly you’ll need a fair bit of practice. But twenty-five isn’t much and it’ll be over before you know it. Trust me,” she said, feeling deeply satisfied. She glided over to the small box of skates that had been provided for the occasion and tossed him a pair.

“Lace up Commander!” she instructed, feeling triumphant.

He huffed over to a nearby boulder and began loosening his boots. Ellana skated smooth circles around the milky ice while she waited for Cullen, breathing in the crisp mountain air and savoring the opportunity to get out of her head for a little bit. She should make fun little excursions a regular occurrence, she decided. There would probably be resistance to the idea at first, until everyone realized how much regular opportunities to let off some steam improved their focus and productivity. It would be good for them. It would be good for her.

Her nose and cheeks were numb, and she bristled at the frigid wind that intermittently breezed through the valley. But despite the chill, she also found it refreshing. Invigorating. It never ceased to surprise her how much colder it was out here compared to inside the walls of Skyhold. Solas had said there was old magic built into the fortress, deep within the rocks and foundation, and after experiencing the stark difference in the climate that was separated only by the long bridge, she believed it. It seemed to have a life and energy all its own, completely distinct from its surroundings. Such a remarkable place.

It took him several minutes to get everything fitted properly and then he stood cautiously on shaky legs. He waited for her to cross the distance to assist him, and when she held out her hand, he grabbed it eagerly. His grip was firm, and she had to hold his elbow with her other hand to help keep him steady as they took tentative steps over the snow and toward the ice. It was the first time she had laid her hands on him, and the solid weight of him leaning against her birthed a frenzy of butterflies in her stomach.

Before they reached the ice, she pulled him to a halt.

“Okay, so the key is to keep moving. It’s when you try to stop, or try to pick your feet up and take short, traditional steps like you’re walking normally, that you’re going to run into problems. Think about riding a bike. You’re not going to stay upright on the bike if you’re not pedaling forward. Come to a stop with your feet on the pedals and the thing is just going to keel over, right?”

He nodded, flashing her a nervous look. She could see from the wisps of frosty breath that he was breathing quickly, anxious.

“Also, relax,” she crooned. “Stay loose, because tense, jerky movements will throw off your ability to glide. And that’s what you want to do. Glide.”

She waited a moment, looking up into his face. His brows were furrowed and the tip of his nose was pink. She had the almost irresistible desire to raise her hand to caress the stubble that lined his perfectly angled jaw, but she wouldn’t feel it anyway through her gloves. Before she could tear her gaze away he shifted his eyes and looked right back into her.

She gave him a reassuring smile and squeezed his hand. His eyes softened and he looked bashfully away.

“Take a couple deep breaths, and then we’ll take one long step out together. Push yourself off and just slide forward for as long as you can. When both feet are on the ground, keep them about a shoulder width apart. Any more or less will make it harder to balance,” she said.

“Am I overwhelming you?”

“No, it’s fine. What you’re saying makes a bit of sense,” he told her. “So let’s do it. I’m ready to get this over with.”

“Okay, lets go!” she said as she pulled him gently onto the ice. He executed the first step perfectly, sliding one foot forward in a long, graceful movement, but he kept a crushing grip on her hand as though he still expected to fall. She moved her other hand from his elbow and up to his bicep, feeling the impressively hard bulge beneath his coat.

“That was perfect! So basically just take every step like that. Or just copy me exactly,” she said. She kept her pace slower than she normally would have and he stayed in step with her, pushing forward in long stroke after long stroke exactly as she was. They made their way halfway around without a single hitch and Ellana found herself feeling both impressed and a little disappointed. She’d been hoping he’d be a little less steady and would require a lot of hands on guidance. At this rate he’d be skating on his own before they even got halfway through the twenty-five laps.

“See, you’re a natural,” she told him. Finally, he let out a little laugh. But that still wasn’t a full smile, she observed.

“Don’t speak too soon, Ellana. We’ve only just begun,” he groaned. They made their way to where Cassandra and Leliana continued to chatter. Cassandra gave him an approving thumbs up.

“Oh you got him to skate!” cheered Leliana. “Well done Inquisitor! I thought for sure he was just going to stand there all day looking like a grump.”

“Would that I could have,” he grumbled.

“Oh hush,” she teased gently. “This isn’t really so bad, is it?”

“Ask me that after I’ve taken my first fall.”

“I’m sure you’ve taken plenty of falls in battle Commander. If you tell me that you haven’t I’ll know you’re lying,” she said.

“Point taken. But some of those were quite brutal and I definitely would not want to repeat them,” he said.

Almost as if on cue, his body began to sway slightly, and when he over-corrected the imbalance he began to stumble. Ellana quickly moved in to wrap an arm around his waist and try to help him steady himself. His own arm snaked around her in a mild panic and he almost crushed her to him, causing an audible wince to bellow from her throat.

The sound seemed to be enough to break his focus on his faltering feet, with the corrective result of making his body relax.

“Long, slow steps, Cullen,” she repeated as he loosened his grip.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered and he pulled away, but didn’t let go of her completely.

They made several laps in silence, with Ellana allowing him to figure the rest out on his own. Now that they were out there and he was beginning to get the hang of it, they had picked up speed. He moved gracefully, his confidence building visibly with each additional lap around the ice. And every time they made it around a full loop the other Inquisitors gave a teasing round of applause, causing him to roll his eyes.

“Maker’s breath,” he murmured exasperatedly.

“Ignore them,” Ellana said as she studied the pleasant angles of his face.

“Easy for you to say. You probably won’t be hearing about this for weeks like I will,” he sighed.

“You know the best way to counter that, don’t you?” she offered, “Just act like you don’t mind at all.”

“Yes, well. The problem is that I do mind.”

“And why is that?” she asked.

“Because it wastes my time,” he answered. “I don’t care what they think, but I have better things to do than stand around and listen to them tell me about it.”

“Well that is a very undiplomatic viewpoint,” she commented.

“I have never claimed to be a diplomat. Josie is quite welcome to that task.”

“So then you probably consider this a waste of time as well?”

“Well, _technically_ …” he said.

“It sounds like there’s a ‘but’ coming?” she said. His eyes met hers for a moment and then he cleared his throat and looked away nervously.

“No. There’s not. No ‘but’ coming,” he said, a pink blush creeping over his cheeks.

Ellana became aware that his hand was still resting on the small of her back. She reached around for it and clasped it with her own, then slid her other hand back around his bicep. He flicked his eyes back at her and gave a small, shy smirk.

“What is it? Are you finally enjoying yourself a little bit?” she asked as she felt the butterflies in her stomach multiply.

“Not at all, this has been an absolutely horrible experience so far,” he said as his eyes glinted.

“Commander? Was that… sarcasm?” she teased.

“No. I am completely serious,” he said in a perfect deadpan. But this time the small smirk of his lips curled up in a true smile, giving him away. She gasped happily and squeezed his arm.

“You’re smiling! Mission accomplished. Now I can sleep easily tonight,” she exclaimed.

He laughed heartily and the sound was like music that went straight to her gut. She felt her cheeks beginning to ache with the strain of her giddiness.

“Well don’t get too smug. You’re going to get yours,” he teased. “To be honest I am really enjoying running over the options for my special request.”

“Bring it on Commander. I can take whatever you dish out,” she beamed.

“Be careful what you wish for Inquisitor. You may be surprised to learn that I can be exceedingly creative,” he said.

They completed another lap, and heard the disgusted voice of Sera call “Oh sod off!” behind them as she struggled to get to her feet after yet another spill.

“I look forward to hearing what you come up with,” she said as she let her eyes linger on his for a second longer than she meant to.

“Do you now?” he asked gently.

“I do.”

Out of the blue, her foot connected awkwardly with a groove and she felt herself rapidly falling toward the ice. As she went down she instinctively tightened her grip on Cullen and in a blur of movements she crashed into a pile of limbs with a jarring crack at her tail bone.

“Ouch,” she laughed. Cullen sat up and gave her a self-conscious grin.

“Was that my fault?” he asked.

“Not at all. That was all me,” she said.

Distantly behind them came the call of Sera’s voice again.

“Ha ha! That’ll teach you to make mooning eyes at each other!” Followed by a muffled wail.

“Ah, cock it!” Sera yelled angrily

Ellana turned to see her sitting on the ice and rubbing her knee with a grimace.

She turned back to Cullen who appeared to be on the verge of laughter. It was enough to push her over the edge and into a fit of giggles. She was delighted to hear him join in.

“Does this mean we’re done?” he asked after they collected themselves.

“Only if you want to forfeit the bargain,” she said.

“Absolutely not. Onward we go,” he said as he tried to climb to his feet. He kept sliding around, unable to find secure purchase in the ice. Once Ellana got herself upright she reached down for him, letting her hands roam a little as she pulled him to a stand. She clutched his waist, and for a fleeting moment his lips were within inches of hers. She took a deep breath, feeling utterly intoxicated.

“Right. Onward,” she breathed, and they took more gliding steps toward Cassandra and Leliana, who were now joined with Varric, Viv and Bull. The whole group was openly watching them with amused expressions.

“Maker,” Cullen sighed as he caught sight of them.

“Ignore them. Just concentrate on whatever shamefully embarrassing stunt you’re going to make me pull later,” she told him.

“Right. Yes, that is definitely working,” he snickered. “Oh this is going to be so worth it. Enjoy your twenty-five laps Ellana.” He said as he gave her a little squeeze.

“Actually, what lap are we even on?”

“I don’t know I assumed you’d be counting,” she said sheepishly.

He cleared his throat. “I…uh… I seem to have forgotten.”

Ellana couldn’t help but let out a loud, joyful peal of laughter, “You ARE enjoying this!”

His lip curled up into his little half-smile and she saw the pink climbing up his cheeks again.

“I insist that you tell no one. If anyone asks, I complained this whole time. I am a very busy and important man, you know,” he smirked.

“Is that your special request Commander?”

“Absolutely not!” he said, and then let out a long sigh. “Fine, tell them whatever you want. But don’t be surprised if I deny it.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll tell them whatever you want me to,” she told him. He flashed her a warm, honeyed grin, his eyes lit up from within by something vibrant and full of promise. It sent a cold-water shiver through her and she felt her cheeks begin to ache again.

His hand loosened its grip, but instead of pull away he laced his fingers between hers and then closed tight.

 

 

 

 

 


End file.
